farmer

¹

[ fahr-mer ]

noun

1. a person who farms; person who operates a farm or cultivates land.
2. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. an unsophisticated or ignorant person, especially one from a rural area.
3. Archaic. a person who undertakes some service, as the care of children or poor people, at a fixed price.
4. Archaic. a person who undertakes the collection of taxes, duties, etc., paying a fixed sum for the privilege of retaining them.
5. Cards.
   1. a variety of twenty-one played with a 45-card pack, the object being to obtain cards having a total worth of 16.
   2. the dealer in this game.

Farmer

²

[ fahr-mer ]

noun

1. Fannie (Mer·ritt) [mer, -it], 1857–1915, U.S. authority on cooking.
2. James (Leonard), 1920–1999, U.S. civil rights leader; founder of CORE.

Farmer

¹

/ ˈfɑːmə /

noun

1. FarmerJohn?15651605MEnglishMUSIC: composerMUSIC: organist John. ?1565–1605, English madrigal composer and organist

farmer

²

/ ˈfɑːmə /

noun

1. a person who operates or manages a farm
2. a person who obtains the right to collect and retain a tax, rent, etc, or operate a franchise for a specified period on payment of a fee
3. a person who looks after a child for a fixed sum

Sensitive Note

The word farmer has been used as a derogatory term for an ignorant or unsophisticated person, especially one from a rural area (whether an actual farmer or not), since the 1800's. A couple of citations illustrate this. One early example is found in Artie by George Ade (1896): “I may be a farmer, but it takes better people than you to sling the bull con into me,” uttered by the title character Artie, who is a young office worker and not a farmer. A book review in The Guardian (August 21, 2001) shows a more recent use: “I worked in a couple of those bars where you hustle champagne. They were businessmen, they weren't naive farmers.”

Other Words From

• farmer·like adjective
• pro·farmer adjective
• under·farmer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of farmer¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fermer, fermour, from Anglo-French, Old French fermier “collector of revenue,” from Medieval Latin firmārius “one who holds lands or tenement for a fixed number of years or for life”; farm, -er ²

Example Sentences

Residue from fiber extraction is sent to farmers for mulching.

From Ozy

Such subseasonal forecasts can save farmers both time and money, since they don’t need to pay for irrigation when it’s not needed.

From Science News

I felt even more ridiculous doing the farmer’s walk exercise, where you’re just walking around, a kettlebell in each hand.

From Ozy

You could make clothes from it without dye and suppliers were often small, organic farmers.

From Singularity Hub 

So, after the war, farmers were producing more food than was necessary.

From Freakonomics

“They are innocent of the charges leveled against them,” a statement issued by Farmer, who also represents the accused, said.

From The Daily Beast

In Season 4, he abandons his “Ricktatorship,” assuming the role of farmer.

From The Daily Beast

Humanitarian Paul Farmer and World Bank Leader Jim Yong Kim captured the problem in a Washington Post article last week.

From The Daily Beast

Is playing ass-kicking Rick more fun than playing Farmer Rick?

From The Daily Beast

One local farmer muttered to me it was like living next door to an airport—but one with a difference.

From The Daily Beast

E was an Esquire, with pride on his brow; F was a Farmer, and followed the plough.

From Project Gutenberg

And if he was worried about Farmer Green's cat, why didn't he dig a hole for himself at once, and get out of harm's way?

From Project Gutenberg

At that Farmer Green's cat began to run up and down between the rows of vegetables.

From Project Gutenberg

Farmer Green's cat had never liked Mr. Crow, for no particular reason.

From Project Gutenberg

The farmer told him it was six miles; "but," he added, "you must ride sharp, or you will get a wet jacket before you reach it."

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• grower
• laborer
• peasant
• producer
• rancher